What people are saying about controversial choice for ABC's live talk show.

Tricia Romano, The Daily Beast: "At first glance, Jenny McCarthy seems perfect (for The View). She's brassy, she's funny, she seems smart. She comes with a built-in audience from her years on television. ... It doesn't hurt that she's a hot blonde who got her start as a Playboy model. But McCarthy, despite her telegenic personality, is actually more problematic than the show's soon-to-be departed lightning rod. Elisabeth Hasselbeck, (whose) viewpoints might have been wrongheaded and sometimes really dumb, but weren't, for the most part, putting the public at risk. But McCarthy's views on vaccinations and autism aren't just stupid, they are actually dangerous."

Pat Garofalo, U.S. News and World Report: "McCarthy has been at the forefront of spreading the myth that childhood vaccines cause autism. ... Never mind that an extensive body of research has found that there is absolutely no link between childhood immunization and autism. ... By giving a purveyor of faux science such a prominent platform, ABC could be contributing to serious health problems and the spread of some of the globe's nastiest diseases, the suppression of which has been a public health success story for the ages. According to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, 2.5 million deaths a year are prevented due to vaccinations against just four diseases."

Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon: "If ever there were a reason to write off The View entirely, the mere thought of McCarthy smiling out at America every morning ought to close the deal. ... Sure, a controversial blonde is a ratings grabber, which is problematic in and of itself. Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to have a reputation as a ridiculous crackpot to get a shot on The View? But take a deeper look. In addition to her potentially dangerous medical views, McCarthy has also evolved from the funny, self-effacing good-time girl she once was into a stone bore."

Joe Coscarelli, New York: "McCarthy will fill the seat vacated rather abruptly by The View's resident conservative Hasselbeck, who took a job at the always absurd Fox & Friends. While ABC didn't necessarily pull in a token Republican, it did land a passionate blonde who's used to courting controversy. With Barbara Walters and co-host Joy Behar both scheduled to leave The View soon, McCarthy — whose public persona in recent years revolves entirely around one issue about which she is not only wrong but potentially malignant — represents a curious start to this new era."

Liane Bonin Starr, Hit Fix: "McCarthy is likely to be a lighthearted member of the already comedian-heavy panel. While I don't have a problem with McCarthy (like Hasselbeck, she's proven herself to be more polished than we'd expect), I hope that at least one of the two remaining slots is filled with someone a little more serious."

Kevin Zimmerman, Rotten Monkey: "McCarthy may well use her new pulpit to continue propagating ill-informed opinions as to how childhood vaccinations cause autism. But at least we'll be spared further heavily air-brushed pictorials in Playboy and cinematic abortions like Dirty Love, written by McCarthy and directed by then-husband John Asher; they divorced the same month the 'movie' was released. She's currently dating Donnie 'Not Mark' Wahlberg, so that's something. Replacements for Walters and Behar are yet to be named, but here's hoping it'll be Tina Yothers and Amanda Bynes."